AUSTRALIA – Outrage has erupted over one restaurant’s reaction at one man’s seeing eye dog!

AUSTRALIA – Outrage has erupted over one restaurant’s reaction at one man’s seeing eye dog!

Thai Spice, a restaurant in Adelaide, has ended of on the wrong side of a judge’s ruling. The restaurant refused entry to Ian Jolly’s seeing eye dog because the staff thought it was gay.

In May 2009, Jolly, along with his dog and female friend asked the restaurant whether the dog could come in. The waiter, thinking she heard “gay dog,” refused the group entry into the restaurant which sparked a complaint with a human rights tribunal.

“The staff genuinely believed that Nudge was an ordinary dog which had been desexed to become a gay dog,” said the owners of Thai Spice in a statement. The tribunal rules against the restaurant, saying that Jolly had been discriminated against on the basis of disability. They ordered the owners to pay $1,400 to Jolly and to apologize for their actions.

The restaurant clearly displays a sign that says “guide dogs welcome” and its ambiance has been described as “relaxed.”

Although the ruling was in his favor, the incident has left a lasting impression on Jolly.

“I just want to be like everyone else and be able to go out for dinner,” he told the Australian press.